Certified Safe Farm-NC: Saving Lives, Improving Health, and Lowering Costs on North Carolina Farms
Certified Safe Farm is a comprehensive agricultural health and safety program for farmers, family members, and employees that saves lives, prevents injury, improves health, and saves costs! In North Carolina, the program involves:
- a comprehensive on-farm safety review that is not shared with any agency,
- occupational health and wellness screenings conducted by Agromedicine health providers, and
- in-person education with farmers and others during safety and health visits.
The Certified Safe Farm Program of NC is supported by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, which is currently supporting reimbursement for farms up to $1,000 to make farm safety improvements. If you’re interested in reimbursement funds, schedule your safety review, contact the Institute at agromedicine@ecu.edu or 252-744-1008.
For more info, watch the Certified Safe Farm-NC Video
To request a Certified Safe Farm-NC review for your farm, complete this form.
The On-Farm Review
CSF reviews are non-regulatory assessments conducted locally by NC Cooperative Extension agents or NC Agromedicine Institute staff. During the on-farm review, CSF-NC reviewers use the Certified Safe Farm Review Assessment Tool, a checklist used to generate a farm score based on CSF-NC criteria. Farms with a score of >85% are considered safe. Equipment or structures with a score of <75% should be considered for safety improvements. The tool is available as a PDF and Excel file.
No-Cost Occupational Health Screenings
Working with a healthcare provider can help those directly involved in agricultural production manage occupational health risks. Under the CSF-NC program, general wellness and health screening components include :
- BMI
- Blood pressure
- Glucose
- Vision
- Hearing
- Skin cancer
Mental Health Literacy Education
Farm safety is impacted by many factors, including fatigue, stress, and other mental health factors. To become a gold-level Certified Safe Farm, farmers, their workers, and their families should engage in mental health literacy education. Mental health literacy trainings are offered for free in-person or virtually. Click here for current offerings.
CSF-NC Reviewer Materials
Certified Safe Farm of NC reviewers are trained by the NC Agromedicine Institute to provide local on-farm safety reviews. Reviewers may access review materials by clicking the linked items below:
- The CSF Reviewers’ Notebook (2026) is designed to guide trained reviewers. The notebook also includes templates for reviewers such as Score Summary Reports, Correct Actions Sheets, PPE Recommendations, and more.
- Certified Safe FarmNC Review Assessment Tool (2026): PDF Version
- Certified Safe Farm-NC Review Assessment Tool (2026): EXCEL Version
- Certified Safe Farm-NC Reimbursement_Application for Farms (Completion after CSF Review)
- CSF Agent Training Presentation (PDF) Note: Injury photos removed
- Completed CSF Review Document Submission-Required for Reviewer Reimbursement (Coming soon!)